Sweetest Touch
by izzyred
Summary: Sora has just moved to San Francisco to escape the enormous, scorching litter box that is the Mojave desert, only to find himself in a 150 sq/ft apartment shared with five other roommates. Even worse, those five roommates happen to be five irritable Russian ladies with fly-swatter spatulas and a penchant for walking around shirtless. Could things get any worse? Leon/Sora smutiness


**Pairings: **Sora/Leon.

**Warning:** Pretty much PWP. Though there _is _a story, I wouldn't call it anything but indulgent and pointless. It's mostly for my benefit.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. None of it.

**Jessica would like you to note:** So, I think I'll make this a one-shot… for now. I may eventually expand but I dunno. I'm kind of finicky about long stories. Plus I'm focusing on a different project. Anywho, here's this shit… Named after the song "Sweetest Touch" by Gross Magic since I've decided to carry on the tradition of not coming up with titles of my own for now. Also, if you want to skip right ahead to the sexy times, they take up most of the bottom section so there you go.

* * *

**Sweetest Touch**

When he first arrived in San Francisco, Sora shared a closet sized room with five ill-tempered Russian women who remained unnamed, all of whom tried to castrate or otherwise mar him over the course of six months.

"It's horrible," he complained over the phone to Kairi, winding the chord around his finger and hunkering down, as though his decreased size would lessen his chances of being heard. "It's like being trapped in a box with nothing but flappy, old boobs surrounding you, and when you try to escape, one of the boobs reaches out and attempts to cut your dick off."

Kairi barely stifled a laugh, earning a short hiss from Sora in response.

"I'm sorry, Sora. I'm-" she started laughing harder, snorting over the phone as she pictured, in detail, the flappy, Russian boob scenario.

"It's really not funny, Kai," he muttered, feeling, for all of his previous exuberance about his big move, deflated and a little bit hungry… but definitely _not _horny. He shuddered as he pictured big, flappy Russian boobs again with their big, flappy Russian nipples and decided that, no, he probably wouldn't be horny again for about 3 months if he managed to get out of his current situation. "I'm scarred," he said aloud, leaning his head into one hand. "It smells like cabbage and sweat _constantly, _and they all keep calling me Sor-ya, like that makes any fucking sense!"

Kairi laughed again, her amusement doubling with the new hash of information. She was bent over by then, all the images in her head converging into one hilarious picture and sending her tired brain over the edge. She was squealing and laughing and breathing so hard, Sora almost hung up on her. And he would have if she wasn't the only person he could talk to who was, you know, sane, English-speaking and didn't walk around without a shirt for no apparent reason.

"I'm sorry!" Kairi choked out, having apparently been driven to tears at that point. "I'm so sorry. I just pictured a big, disgusting nipple saying 'Sor-ya' and I had to laugh. Don't tell me that's not funny Sora."

Sora frowned, knowing he would have been laughing just as hard as she, were things any different. As it were, however, he was not inclined to find big, disgusting nipples anything other than revolting and inescapable.

He sighed and said as much, rubbing the space between his eyes. "I have to go, Kai," he muttered, hanging up without another word.

"Sor-ya," came a harsh, thick voice from behind him. 'Oh Gaaaaaaaawwwwd!' he thought tragically, nearly bashing his head into the wall. 'Slaughter me.' He ignored his brain and turned, giving his best, most winning smile, which came out as more of an 'I really need to take a poop right now' than a 'Yes how may I help you?' and earned him no brownie points from Gennadiya or whatever the fuck her name was.

"Sor-ya," she said again, frowning and, inexplicably, waving a spatula at him. He shook his head slightly at this, furrowing his brow, but his attention was drawn away - with relief - by the non-shirtlessness Lyubochka (or something) had employed for this scolding. 'Thank the universe we're in the goddamn hall,' he thought, stepping back further towards the front door to emphasize the point to himself. "Sor-ya, (a third time) you did not clean your area properly." She made as though to lurch at him and perhaps swat him with her scary spatula, but Sora made a dash for the door, skidding outside with no real purpose aside from getting away from saggy boobs and Russian accents and spatulas that left surprisingly painful welts. He needed to work, and that meant sitting down and typing out his play amongst the smell of sweat and borscht, the sickening sway of enormous old lady breasts dancing in his peripherals… but he didn't think he could handle it that day, so he decided to take a walk. Stanislava (or whatever other equally stereotypical name), didn't follow, which relieved Sora almost as much as her choice to don clothing in front of him that day, and almost as much as the sight of his favorite coffee shop up ahead of him, its cheap prices and wide variety drawing him in as usual, urging him to spend the very little pocket change he had left. He counted, in his head, how much money he had left in his savings, including what his mother had given just before he left. He determined quickly that he was flat-out broke. But he tried not to worry too much about that as he stepped into the unfortunately named Bump 'n' Grind, jingling a scant few coins in his pocket that he might splurge on something unnecessary but wholly fulfilling and distracting.

He wasn't expecting, as he approached the till, to be greeted by a brand new face and an unfriendly grimace, neither of which had he ever encountered at the B&G before. "Uhhh-"

"Can I help you?" said the face, lips moving, forming words, speaking to him. To Sora.

Sora shook his head, eyes wide in an unwitting puppy-dog stare, nearly disarming whatever defenses the guy in front of him had erected. "Um… hey, I said… can I help you?"

"Uhhh…" Sora said again, sputtering, chewing his lip, staring. 'This guy's _hot!_' he thought, trembling slightly at the possibility of interacting with such a being. 'Ohmyfuck he's so hot, what the hell do I say? What do I do in the face of such-'

And much to his dismay, the thing that disrupted his thought process - however feeble it may have been - the last thing on earth he wanted to encounter outside of the sweaty, boob-filled box that was his makeshift home, the only thing worse than being caught dumbfounded in front of a hot guy that, in all probability, he'd be seeing again quite often, was the angry cry of "Sor-ya" followed by a thwack against his arm, followed by the owner of the voice and thwacking thing and all of that disturbing shelf of bosom yanking him by the ear, nearly dragging him out the door.

"What! What do you want Svetlana!" He yanked his ear away, favoring the heavy-set Russian woman with a death-glare previously unmatched. Everyone within the unfortunately named coffee shopped paused to stare at the spectacle, wondering who the sweaty Russian was and why she had a spatula, and, latterly, who the nice-looking kid in the brown sweater was and why he was being beaten.

"My name is not Svetlana," what's-her-name said, hissing and narrowing her eyes. "My name is definitely not Svetlana."

"Well pardon me for assuming since none of you ever bothered to tell me your names over the past six hellish months of my life!" Sora yelled, suddenly more worked up than he'd been in awhile. She was now butting in on his territory, _his _sanctuary, and he really, REALLY wasn't having any of that. "Oh, and pardon me for not picking my socks up off the floor since that so obviously encroaches on your space," he continued, poking her in the chest, "unlike your enormous breasts, apparently, which you always walk around shoving in my face bared like you have no fucking sense of decency! Oh, and let's not forget about the spatula! Thiiiiis spatula!" He yanked it out of her hand, tossing it out the door into the street with an indignant face, not caring that everyone around him was staring. "If you hit me, with a spatula- No! With _anything_ ever again, I will personally see to it that you get shipped the fuck out of this place and back to whatever tooth-rotten, asshole family you barely raised back in Russia faster than you can say 'Sor-ya pick up your socks!' You got that Feodora?" Verochka, Zinoviya, Gavriila, whatever, glared at Sora for a moment, glancing over at her now flattened spatula, then back to Sora, then back at her spatula again, before roaring "You owe me new spatula!" and hauling Sora up by his collar, attempting to drag him outside.

Just as Sora closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate and thinking 'I'm in for the worst beating of my life,' Inga stopped, her awkward waddling and dragging coming to a halt almost too suddenly.

Sora, thinking it must be too good to be true, opened his eyes and saw that the cashier had come out from behind the counter, and was now standing with his hand on his Russian roommate's shoulder, that cold look returning to his face. Well, not returning more… lingering. Never leaving. Only growing more intense. Sora stared, waiting for the tension to break, for something to happen, his body still half-way slumped on the floor and only supported by his hauled-up collar.

"Excuse me ma'am," Mr. Hotty cashier-man said politely, his eyes burning and acid practically dripping from his tongue. "I can't allow you to harass our customers. Please leave the premises immediately."

"Dah, that is what I am doing," she said, shaking Sora, "I am leaving premises with irresponsible roommate."

"No, I don't think you understand," the cashier continued icily, his glare deepening. "You go. He stays."

The Russian seemed to consider this. She seemed to consider the cashier and his brown hair and gorgeous face. She also seemed to consider curling her fist around a spatula handle and thwacking him a few times to test it out, but her hand simply grabbed ineffectually at nothing. Seeing no point in arguing, and determining that she could always save up her anger for later and beat Sor-ya senseless then, she huffed and released the scrawny boy, glaring at him in warning and waddling off.

"And my name's not Sor-ya!" he called angrily after her, his comment met with only a single, upheld finger that he wasn't sure meant the same thing in Russia that it did in America but which conveyed the message plenty well: He was fucked.

"So what is it then?" said the cashier at his side, picking up where Sora had left off with a sly smirk.

"What?" Sora replied dumbly, too far behind to even muster a proper thanks.

The man snickered, relieving some of the tension built up in the air with the dissolution of his killer stare. "Your name?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, Sora," said Sora, clenching his fists to calm himself. He really couldn't handle how attractive this guy was.

"I'm Leon," said the attractive guy, extending a hand and giving Sora's a brief shake, looking a bit too amused. "It looks like, uh, you got yourself a nice rooming situation there." He gestured in the general direction of Ivanna, whose retreating back was now completely out of sight. Sora shrugged at the derisive comment, trying to stay positive about it himself… But he couldn't. Not this time. Sora slumped.

"It's a shithole," he admitted, rubbing his face with one hand. "Believe it or not, there are four more of her, and they all have spatulas."

Leon laughed, and Sora found that, unlike Kairi's, Leon's laugh didn't annoy him. Rather, it soothed him. It was something like finding solace in the laughter of a compatriot, someone who (possibly) understood his problems.

"I used to live in a similar fashion," he confirmed, giving Sora's heart a little jump-start. "I lived in what was basically a closet with five guys named Lee and Wong."

Sora wrinkled his brow as he considered that tidbit, puzzling out how two names equalled five people.

"Two of them were named Wong, three were named Lee," Leon explained knowingly, smiling. "And none of them spoke a lick of English. They just rushed about shouting at me incomprehensibly half the time. I had to beat them off with a stick when they wanted something."

Sora laughed, feeling better after only a brief chat, his mind somewhat clearer and his focus more imperative. "Oh, thank you!" he said belatedly, turning to Leon. "I mean, for… yeah. Just thank you."

Leon smiled, and it wasn't just a little smirk this time, but a full-blown, perfect-white-tooth-flashing smile. "Well, I have to admit, I may have ulterior motives."

Sora blanched, his heart thundering at the thought of Leon's self-confessed ulterior motives, all kinds of amazing scenarios playing in his head. 'Oh god when does he get off work?' Sora wondered, getting way ahead of himself.

"How about I buy you coffee?" Leon continued, repressing a chuckle at the way Sora was fidgeting and turning red, his embarrassment clear on his face.

"It's because I have no ass, isn't it?" he accidentally said aloud, responding to Leon's surprisingly innocuous ulterior motives as though they'd deprived him of the sexier ones.

"Of course not." Leon smiled in a way that he knew was reassuring and mature, storing away his laughter for later. "Coffee won't help that."

* * *

Leon, with all of his prepossessing hotness and total hunky savior vibes, got off of work five minutes after he'd prevented Sora from being torn limb from limb by five Russian ladies who may or may not have been named Ekaterina. And fortunately for Sora, his offer to buy him coffee meant that he was literally buying him the coffee. It saved him a lot of trouble because he really only had two dollars in change on his person and counting out that amount in coins of small denomination was always a pain in the ass.

They sat opposite one another in the B&G, idly sipping at the drinks they'd just received and occasionally glancing at each other to wear away the awkwardness. Sora was nervous, and when he was nervous, he tended to pull his knees up against his chest and wrap both arms around them, an action which Leon found adorable, unbeknownst to Sora who smiled weakly and leaned his cheek against the hard plane of his knee cap. "When did you start working here?" he said, suddenly compelled to clear away the silence stretched between them. It was a weak attempt at small talk, but it was all he could manage with the way his heart was stuttering. "I mean, I've never seen you here before…"

Leon nodded, lowering his cup. "I just started working two days ago, but… I was a regular before then. I've seen you here before, to be honest. A few times."

Sora's mouth parted slightly in shock. He would never have imagined that someone like Leon would notice someone like him enough to markedly pick him out of a crowd. "W-wow," he sputtered, scratching behind his ear and looking away, embarrassed for no real reason. "I'm surprised I didn't notice you before. I guess I've had a lot on my mind."

Leon smiled that reassuring smile, making Sora blush a little bit. "I expect you've been wrapped up in your… living situation. You always looked a little sad when you came in here. Like you were trying to find an escape."

Sora nodded, rolling his eyes. "I can't stand it anymore, seriously. They all walk around without shirts, and I don't think they own a bra between them."

Leon's eyes widened and he looked slightly sick, though that might have been Sora projecting his own horror onto the other man more than anything. Still, he looked pretty grossed out, which made Sora smile. He told him about their various attempts to attack him over the past six months, attributing his frequent coffee shop visits to the assaults. "I really have no privacy, no time to work, nothing. And I can't even find a part time job because everywhere I applied wants me to work nights, and the Russians would bury me alive if I came home late and missed my chores." He sighed, shaking his head. "The problem is, I'll never be able to move out if I don't find somewhere to work."

Leon watched Sora slump against his legs, wondering how the kid maintained even the small amount of pep he seemed to exude at every turn. He also wondered if he'd be offended if he offered to take him home that night, but decided, based on his comment earlier about having no ass, and the shameless way he was staring at Leon, that, no, he wouldn't be offended. In fact, he'd probably even be willing to sleep with Leon if Leon asked, not that he planned on going there just yet. Instead of expressing these thoughts, he leaned forward with a smile, dropping his cheek on the knuckles of his right hand as he rested the same arm on the table, knowing the action looked ridiculously flirtatious. "You could work here," he offered, indicating the interior of the coffee shop with a brief wave. "I got the job because the manager just fired three people."

Sora furrowed his brow, focusing on the wrong details. "Which three people? Why'd they get fired?" It was natural, for him, to ask these questions. Mostly because he'd liked all the people that worked there, and because he vaguely suspected, even though he liked them, that they'd probably been fired for spitting in drinks or something, and he'd like to at least be aware of it if he was consuming other people's spit.

Leon chuckled and considered Sora's pouting visage, a slow smile spreading across his face. He was a surprising person, Leon thought. "Well it was Yuffie, Rinoa, and Lily. And they were fired because they were all answering the phones in a less than desirable way."

"Wait… what?"

Leon grinned. "They would pick up and say stuff like, 'This is the Bump 'n' Grind, fine purveyor of powdered shark genitalia since 1973'. Stuff like that. The three of them got a little bored on the job." He shrugged and took another sip of his coffee, watching Sora warring with various emotions all at once. Part of him looked like it really really wanted to laugh. And another part was forcing a frown across his pouty lips, a look that really suited him far too well, and made Leon pause with his cup half-way to his lips. To draw attention away from the fact that he was staring, he started up the conversation again, hoping the brunette across from him was as oblivious as he looked. "Anyways," he said, clearing his throat, "when Aerith found out, she had to fire them. They were all friends so she really didn't want to, but they'd been warned before."

"Wait," Sora said, looking profoundly confused, "they'd been _warned_? What had they been doing before?"

Leon shrugged. "Basic things. Filling bags of ground coffee with ground coconut shell. Staging fist-fights in the middle of work when someone had a particularly complicated order, just to get out of making it. And, more innocuously, bowing to Asian customers and pretending to speak Japanese to them. They aren't really racists, but… you can understand why there'd be tension."

Sora was laughing behind his hand now, his eyes crinkling slightly as he imagined the myriad pranks being pulled by the three girls. He wasn't one to take joy in other's pain, however, and became sobered by the thought that they no longer had jobs. He could picture all of them so well. Yuffie with her affable charm and helpful nature. Rinoa with her secret smile and playful ribbing. And Lily, most of all Lily, with her marionette-like goth makeup and sharp wit. All of them had been so nice to him, and he wondered why he'd never seen them get up to their antics before.

"I came here a lot," he noted, his gaze wandering up to the ceiling. "How come I never witnessed any of this?"

"Well they knew when you'd be coming in since you were pretty consistent about it," he answered, hoping Sora wouldn't catch the implications of that statement. "They all really liked you. Even Lily… and Lily doesn't like _anyone_."

Sora grinned, and Leon could tell by the glint in his eyes that he was having a moment of clarity. Leon thought, briefly, that Sora probably knew.

"You guys talked about me?" he said, confirming Leon's suspicions. 'Dammit!' He winced. 'Why'd he have to choose now to start paying attention to detail?'

He sighed with a smile, ruffling a hand back through his long mane. Sora, to his credit, kept from drooling as he watched, though his mouth had dropped open in a painfully obvious indication of his attention, making Leon grin.

"We talked about you, yeah," he said, nodding. "Yuffie and Rinoa used to go on about the 'cute regular' all the time. I hadn't seen you before they mentioned it, but then I started looking out, wondering what all the fuss was about."

Sora blushed harder than he had all day, going red from chin to ears, and probably everywhere else as well. He sputtered out a few syllables but soon determined it was a useless exercise, trying to talk, and reached for his cup to drink his lukewarm latte, avoiding Leon's keen smirk.

"After I saw you a few times, I understood," Leon continued, almost laughing aloud at Sora's deepening blush and the way he was hunkering down to hide himself, as if his head could disappear between his shoulders if he tried hard enough.

"Well… thanks, I guess," Sora murmured, pulling his knees, which had fallen away, back up to his body to better hide his face. He leaned on them heavily, peeking at Leon from behind the cover they provided awkwardly. It was somewhat odd for him to be flirted with so obviously. It wasn't the first time, of course, because he tended to get a lot of attention when he made the effort to go out, but he'd grown up in what was essentially the bible belt of California, and he wasn't entirely used to a) being openly gay, and b) _others _being openly gay. And because he didn't have any money, he rarely had a chance to go anywhere aside from the coffee shop, which wasn't exactly the bustling homosexual epicenter of San Francisco. Still, he was growing more used to Leon's presence and attention, and he found himself being drawn to the other man in a way he'd never been drawn to another person before.

"Look, Sora," Leon said, snapping Sora's attention away from his thoughts, "I've been thinking, and, don't get the wrong idea, but I'd like to give you a place to stay tonight. I mean, away from the Russians and spatulas and whatnot." Leon waved a hand to indicate all the "whatnot" he was talking about, hoping he hadn't stuttered when he'd spoken. It came out in such a rush he hadn't had time to really listen to himself, and he almost blushed at the mere notion of tripping on his words in front of Sora. No one had made him so nervous before.

Sora fidgeted, lingering too much on the part of Leon's statement that made him think it must be because he had no ass, again. He almost ventured to bring it up, starting, "Don't…" and finishing with '…get the wrong idea?' all in his head. He cursed himself for being too meek, but decided that - even if there was to be no sex involved - he really wanted to take Leon up on his offer. The other, however, had taken Sora's tentative "Don't…" the wrong way, and was feeling a bit let down and shaken. He lifted his cup to his lips idly, hoping his stare didn't convey the despondence he now felt. 'I guess I've been reading the signals wrong,' he thought, sighing and moving to stand. Sora, panicking that Leon would leave without hearing his answer, reached out a hand, tugging on the older man's sleeve.

Leon stared, a smile hidden behind his near-blank expression. "Uh…" Sora murmured, fidgeting and looking down at his drawn-up knees, obviously working something over in his mind. "I really… I appreciate the offer. It'd be nice to get away from them so… can I?" He looked up at Leon, and the desperation behind his expression was so clear that the older man realized quickly that he'd really had nothing to worry about from the start. A slow smile spread across his face as he settled back into his chair, nodding at Sora in what he hoped was a calm, comforting manner.

* * *

They got to talking again after that, figuring it would be good to learn something of the other if they were to spend the night together, even if it wasn't in the way Sora, (and secretly Leon) wished.

"So where are you from?" Leon asked. They had stayed at their table though they were done with their coffee, and without anything to distract from the nervousness of both, they had taken to making awkward eye contact with other people in the place, a pastime they both shared, strangely enough, and something that provided endless entertainment. Sora was in the process of staring down a woman with a baby, his gaze more intense than usual so as to put her off as much as possible. She glanced at him, then did a double take when she noticed his rapt attention, taking her order and rushing out the door, looking behind her as she went. They both chuckled at her reaction and Leon set his sights on a person who'd just entered, widening his eyes comically and keeping them that way even as Sora answered his question.

"I used to live in Southern California," he admitted, hoping Leon wasn't one of those douche bags who judged all Southern Californians as lesser beings. He didn't seem to react to that, really, so Sora continued, sighing nostalgically. "I didn't live anywhere good, though. I lived in the shittiest town out in the middle of the desert." The guy Leon was staring at finally noticed and started staring back, a challenging look on his face. Leon just intensified his expression and the guy wavered, shakily uttering out his order and glancing at Leon continuously as he reached the till. Leon relented and turned back to Sora with a grin.

"So, wait, what town is it, exactly?"

Sora hesitated, knowing that it wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, admitting where he was from. "Well… Barstow."

"Barstow!" Leon sputtered incredulously. "I've never met someone like you who came from…" he shuddered, pausing, then glanced at Sora apologetically.

Sora just smiled, feeling less self-conscious. "Yeah. I'm surprised you're familiar with it. I guess now you know why I left. There was nothing for me there."

"There's nothing there at all!"

"Just gas stations and Vegas traffic," Sora admitted, pausing. "Oh, and Del Taco. It's, literally, the only good Del Taco anywhere… ever. I'm not joking."

Leon laughed. "Such loyalty to your hometown, I see."

"I don't have anything to be proud of there. I only met two decent people in that place, and well… they're still stuck there. Although I think Riku's trying to move here too."

Leon perked up at the way Sora said that name, a twinge of unfounded jealousy rising. "Riku…" he said quietly, trailing off.

Sora stared at him, furrowing his brow. "He's been my friend since we were kids. He was the one who…" Sora stopped, not sure if he should be telling Leon about it. Then he sighed, and admitted that Riku was the one who'd made it clear to Sora that he was gay. "We dated for a year before I broke it off."

"Why'd you break up?" Leon ground out, hoping he didn't seem too annoyed. He wasn't sure why, but the way Sora talked about his ex drove him crazy. 'This is stupid,' he thought, calming down. 'I haven't even asked him out, really. We haven't done anything. We barely know each other.'

"I was sick of his bullshit," Sora said a moment later, halting Leon's thoughts. "He was just so… moody and temperamental. And he and Kairi fought constantly. In the end, they started dating, which made sense to me from the start. I'd always thought they'd be better than he and I were together." Sora sighed, not explaining who Kairi was, leaving Leon to assume that she must be Sora's other close friend. He stored that knowledge away and waited for something else, not sure if he should ask more questions. Sora had been forthcoming so far, but… he didn't want to push it.

"What about your parents?" he asked finally, breaking a silence that had stretched on too long in which Sora looked entirely too wistful and attractive. Leon cleared his throat and glanced away, chiding himself for staring so freely.

"My dad left when I was 7," Sora answered quickly, obviously not wanting to talk about that at length. "I lived with my mom and sometimes my uncle when she was gone for work for a long time. But… well, I've talked about myself a lot already. What about you? Are you from the city?"

Leon shook his head. "I grew up in Baltimore."

"Maryland?" Sora said, raising an eyebrow. "How do you not have an accent?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself. I guess we left before it really stuck. I had one as a kid according to my parents." Leon shook his head, smiling. "We moved to Portland when I was 11 and then…" His voice trailed off, leaving Sora with the impression that something unfortunate must have happened.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he said quickly, fidgeting, knowing all too well what the look on Leon's face meant. The other man, however, shook his head with a scowl, not directing his gaze at Sora.

"It's not that I don't want to… it's more that…" He paused again, sighing and holding back a strange smile. "Well, it makes me laugh when it really shouldn't."

Sora shook his head, confused, his eyebrows drawing together. "I don't understand."

Leon chortled breathily. "Of course you don't, I haven't told you yet. Just prepare yourself. You're not going to want to laugh but… honestly, it's really funny, even to me."

Sora shrugged, then waited, practicing a blank stare, wondering what the hell Leon was talking about.

"Well," Leon started, leaning in a bit, "my mom died a few years after we moved to Portland. Nothing tragic, unless you consider really stupid accidents tragic." Sora waited for an explanation as a grin broke out on Leon's face. "She and my dad were on vacation at some beach, and they were walking around the cliffs above. My mom wasn't the most stable person. She was easily distracted, pretty dimwitted… anyways. They were walking and they got to an area where there were guardrails. People had fallen to their death there before. My mother, in all of her great wisdom, saw a feather being blown by, just out of reach, and chased it. And, as you can imagine, fell off the fucking cliff."

Sora pressed his lips together, forcing a frown, his face scrunching up. He really didn't want to laugh, just like Leon said, but… He could picture her chasing that feather and the image was so inappropriate and sad that it… it was funny. It was really funny. He sputtered, snorting a little bit as he let out his bottled up laughter. He squeezed his eyes shut, leaning over to breathe.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he said, waving a hand, continuing his strangled laughter. "That's so messed up."

He panted and choked down his amusement again, straightening and forcing his smile into a pained expression, noting that Leon was laughing silently too, a glint in his eye.

"Did you make that up!" Sora said incredulously, giving Leon a scowl.

The older man waved a hand in front of his face, laughing still. "I'm serious. I wouldn't lie about that."

Sora sobered when he realized that they really were laughing at a dead person. He felt bad, even if it was funny. It was no excuse.

"Well," Leon sighed, leaning on his hand, "my dad is another story. It's a little less funny, though… it's still pretty amusing to me."

Sora frowned, not sure what this attitude of Leon's was about. "You shouldn't be so entertained by the death of your parents," he chided, hoping he wasn't coming off as annoying.

"I know," Leon shrugged, his face evening out some. "It's not that I'm not upset by it I just… I sort of feel better knowing that at least they went out with some measure of humor."

Sora's heart softened a bit at the sentiment. He understood, even if he'd never experienced something like that himself. It would have been so much worse for Leon, he realized, if he hadn't been able to laugh through his sadness.

"Well, what happened to your dad?" Sora said softly, caught by the urge to touch Leon's hand. He refrained, but twitched at the impulse, wondering what might have happened if he'd done it.

"My dad killed himself," Leon said quietly, glancing up at Sora with a watery smile. "He dressed up in my mom's clothes and took a bunch of painkillers. I came home and found him like that, all cross-dressed up with white stuff dribbling out of his mouth. Pretty kinky, huh?"

Sora winced, almost giving in to his impulse again…

"Anyways," Leon said, sighing heavily, "he left me a note saying, 'Sorry, Leon. Take care of yourself. I sold a bunch of our shit and left you the house. You should be set for money and stuff… Love, dad' and that was it. I was alone."

Sora wasn't sure what to say. He'd seen tragedy of this kind before. Kids in Barstow living on the street, usually turning to prostitution, drug-dealing, or gangs, their parents dead from overdosing or being shot. With Leon, at least there was some support after his parents were gone. Financial support at the very least. But it wasn't enough to heal him. He had obviously overcome a lot of it, but Sora knew the look in his eye all too well. It was a look that said, 'They all told me it would get better, but it didn't. It didn't get better, it just changed.' Sora had the same look in his eye, he knew, though for very different reasons.

"I'm sorry, Leon," he said feebly, reaching out his hand without thinking, grasping his new friend's. "I… I don't really know what to say."

Leon shook his head and squeezed Sora's hand, looking grateful. "You really don't need to say anything. It's enough."

Sora nodded, understanding, and sat in silence for a moment, contemplating nothing. His day had taken a strange turn, and he suddenly wished he was back home for a moment, playing Bloodfeast with Kairi or shooting off fireworks out in the desert with Riku. Then he remembered how much everything _aside _from those things sucked and was very grateful to be where he was, holding Leon's hand, living in San Francisco, even if it was with a bunch of sweaty old ladies… Then he noticed that he was, indeed, still holding Leon's hand, and thought about withdrawing it nervously. He might have done so, too, but Leon's thumb prevented him, it's gentle stroking across his skin making his mouth go dry and his breath rush.

"Uh… Well, uh- um-" Sora sputtered, his cheeks bright red. Leon hadn't been looking at him, but staring off into space, his body half turned away. He reengaged at Sora's sudden vociferations, smiling wanly, then with a bit more genuine enjoyment as he noted Sora's trembling hand and colored cheeks.

"You're fucking adorable," he said, meaning it, lifting Sora's hand and kissing his knuckles.

Sora made a noise like he was having a seizure, a twitch running through his whole body as Leon laughed and stood. "Well, we should leave, but I want to introduce you to Aerith first if you're interested in that job."

Sora nodded fervently, unable to look Leon in the face. He really wasn't so shy, usually, it was just that… Leon was fucking hot and smooth and his lips had been really warm when they'd pressed against his hand. Sora stood jumpily and forced himself to walk behind Leon, who went to the far end of the counter at the back of the place and yelled through the open door there. "Hey Aerith!" he called, leaning over the edge so that his face showed. "I found you a potential employee."

The guy working behind the counter - his name was Cloud, if Sora remembered correctly - gave Leon a dirty look, rushing over to where they were. "You could have asked me to get her instead of making a huge racket."

"Shut it, princess," Leon muttered, raising an eyebrow. "I have places to be and I wasn't in the mood to deal with you."

Cloud sighed and rolled his eyes, glaring at nothing as he returned to his place. Sora wondered at the exchange between them, but decided it was best not to ask, realizing that he might not like the answer. A few moments passed in which Sora studied his fingernails to distract himself, all his nervousness - briefly forgotten during the Cloud - Leon exchange - suddenly doubled at the thought of meeting the manager and begging for a job. As it turned out, there would be begging involved, but not on his end.

A tall, curvy brunette emerged from the door just as Sora was steeling his resolve, her hair in a messy braid and a flushed look about her. She was obviously working pretty hard. "Ummm…" Sora said quietly, about to stick out his hand.

"When can you start?" she said immediately, halting him in his tracks. He stared at her, dumbfounded, then looked up at Leon, who grinned. Her voice had been rushed and desperate, though still sweet, somehow.

"Listen," she said, wiping a hand across her forehead, "I really need new workers. If you're not interested, it's okay, but… please. I just lost three veteran employees."

Sora looked up at the woman, swallowing down the lump in his throat. His empathy always took over at times like this, and he found that, even if he'd wanted to, he really couldn't deny her what she was asking for.

"I can start… anytime, really," he said shrugging, then smiling, hoping to confer an unfelt sense of assurance.

The woman smiled back genuinely, reaching out to shake his hand. "Well, welcome aboard. I'm Aerith. What's your name?"

"Sora," Leon answered for him, grabbing one of the boy's shoulders and steering him away, "and we really have to go now."

Aerith nodded quickly and waved at them, hurrying back into the room she'd come from with a pained look on her face.

"Is she uh… is she okay?" Sora asked, glancing back to where she'd just been standing as they left.

Leon shrugged. "She's nice, smart, easygoing. Doesn't mind playing around, either, as long as it's not what the other three were doing-"

"No, I meant, is she alright? She looks like she's working pretty hard…"

"Oh, she's always like that," Leon admitted, scratching his head. "I don't think I've seen her slack off a day in her life."

Sora nodded absently, then realized that he had a job. He really really had a job. He wondered, then, what was going to happen. Did she know that he was staying with Leon and would contact him that way? Sora figured it was pretty certain that something would be worked out, and didn't stress about it too much, reveling in the jubilance imparted by the knowledge that he would be making money. And making money meant he could move out of his sweaty box of Russian ladies, eventually. He smiled at the prospect, holding back the urge to do a victory dance. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Leon any more than he already had.

"What are you so happy about?" Leon asked playfully, smirking at Sora.

"I have a job," he said, completely ignoring Leon's chuckle. He stared ahead at the nubilous sky, denying its assertion that he should be more subdued. Today was not a day for moping.

* * *

Leon took Sora to his apartment, walking alongside the cheerful brunette in a pleasant haze. The two of them stopped for a minute when they saw a Chinese shop that really did sell powdered shark genitalia and shared a laugh, starting up a conversation about crazy homeless people and comparing those from his hometown to the ones in San Francisco. Sora kept insisting that the ones back home were worse, which Leon found hard to believe.

"The ones in Barstow don't even panhandle, they just make a nuisance of themselves," Sora asserted, meeting Leon's dubious stare. "There's a lady who runs around pantsless wearing giant headphones and dancing." Leon shrugged, stating that he'd seen worse. Sora shook his head. "The headphones aren't even attached to anything."

Leon laughed and conceded the point, moving on to a different topic.

"So, has your experience in San Francisco been favorable? Even with the whole… Russian lady thing?"

Sora shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets with a grin. "Yeah. I really like it here," he admitted, glancing over at Leon. He paused before bringing up what was on his mind, hoping not to step on the older man's toes. "Why did you move here?" he said after a moment, cocking his head. "I mean… you said you had a house… in Portland."

"I didn't want to stay there. Too many memories."

"But why leave the state entirely?"

"Same reason you left Barstow," he said with a grin. "There wasn't anything there for me."

Sora nodded, not sure if it was the same but not wanting to bring it up. "So…" he trailed off, but not because he felt any discomfort. It had more to do with the fact that they'd stopped near Union Square, and Sora was now staring at an impressive, and previously ignored apartment complex he was sure he'd passed a few times before. It looked… expensive, despite the number of homeless people lingering nearby.

"What the fuck!" Sora's mouth dropped open as Leon headed toward the building, ushering his shellshocked friend forward with a wave and a smirk. Sora hurried to catch up, feeling a little out of place. Tons of people were filtering past on the streets, looking like they'd just come out for the night and were headed to the some nearby hotspots, but inside the building, all was fairly quiet. Sora could hear the Powell St. BART station (which was pretty much just outside) as he followed Leon, thinking that that probably got annoying, but other than that, he was amazed at how peaceful and high quality the place was.

"How…" Sora began, looking around with amazement. "I mean… what… why the fuck do you live here!"

Leon laughed. "It's right near public transportation, all the appliances are brand new, oh, and there's a washer and dryer in the unit, which is big plus-"

"No, I mean… how! How do you afford this? I thought you said you lived with Wongs and Lees when you first got here and now you're working at a coffee shop and living in… whatever the hell this is!"

"Well… when I first got here I had all the money my dad left me and the money I got for selling the house," Leon began, stopping at a unit and unlocking it, ushering Sora inside and shutting the door. "Needless to say, we were well-off even before all of that, so I was pretty good to go. The only problem was I wasn't **making **any money, I just had a set amount and I was worried about how long that would last. To be honest, I lived with those Chinese guys mostly because I was unversed in the ways of the city and I didn't know where to start. Remember, I was just learning how to take care of myself." Sora was only half-listening, really, as he took in the space around him. It was crazy, stupid big, and full of stainless steel appliances and granite-fucking-countertops. "Anyways," Leon continued, trying to draw Sora's attention back to him, "I met Yuffie a few days after I moved to the city, and she helped me figure stuff out. I got a job as a bouncer at the club her dad ran, and I moved out of my shitty little box of an apartment a month later. It took me forever to find a place I liked, but… I found this place by chance and it really convinced me. So here I am."

"God damn," Sora muttered, looking around some more. Then he glanced at Leon, who was lazing back on a couch smiling at him, his feet up on a coffee table. "So, wait a minute, how come you're working two jobs now?"

Leon shrugged. "Aerith begged me. And I am eating into the money I have saved up. Not that it won't last me, I just like to have a lot of security. I'm a little bit neurotic when it comes to these things."

Sora shook his head, flopping down on the other end of Leon's couch with a sigh. "Jeez you rich kids…" he muttered, smiling. "I can't believe you live in this place, seriously. You don't look so…"

"Like such a rich kid?" he asked, grinning. "I know. I've worked hard to maintain the appearance that I'm just your average guy."

"Ugh! Unfair!" Sora slipped off his shoes and folded his legs in, curling into the corner of the couch. "I don't even have to work to look like I'm just your average guy."

Leon chuckled and leaned toward Sora, smiling. "You're not really aware of the impact you make are you?" His knuckles slid over Sora's cheek for a brief second before he retracted his hand, thinking that he probably was going into 'Don't get the wrong idea' territory, and that always led to bad things. He wasn't going to rush.

Even as he thought this, however, Sora's eyes were flickering slightly, and his breathing was ragged just around the edges, and it really really looked like he wanted a kiss. So Leon, his mind suddenly going blank, had no control of it, really, when he leaned in and brushed Sora's hair aside, planting a painfully slow kiss against Sora's lips. The other boy clutched at him and breathed out through his nose, surprised and unsurprised at the same time. He hadn't expected a kiss for at least a few more days. And Leon, for his part, was trying so hard not to give him the wrong idea. He didn't want Sora to assume that he brought him home for sex, or that he was going to kick him out after they'd slept together. But it was hard not to just let things happen when Sora's mouth fell open, or when Sora gasped a little needy gasp when Leon pressed his tongue into the younger boy's mouth. Or when Sora's hands slid around his neck and moved slowly into his hair, burying themselves amongst all those silky locks and rubbing gently in encouraging circles. It was especially hard, Leon thought, when he pressed in closer and pulled Sora's legs around him, and Sora didn't resist at all. 'Well now I'm blaming the victim,' he chastised, heat rising in his chest.

When they finally pulled away slightly, Sora's hands still in Leon's hair and Leon's hands still rubbing restlessly at Sora's hips, the younger boy smirked and rubbed his nose against Leon's saying, "Don't get the wrong idea?" in a mocking tone.

Leon gave him a wry smile and shrugged, kissing his upper lip, then his chin, then his jaw, darting a glance down at their entwined bodies. "I guess I was fooling myself," he said, laughing, unable to deny it any longer. "I really don't want you to think I'm just…"

"Trying to get in my pants?" Sora supplied, slipping his hands out of Leon's hair and down to his chest, petting there softly. "I get that," he nodded, grinning at Leon's hungry stare. "You should have realized, however, that I don't mind if you want to get in my pants." He leaned forward and teased at the seam of Leon's lips with his tongue, withdrawing it when Leon moved to accept and biting the man's bottom lip instead. He chuckled a little, murmuring "Ow," and kissing Sora when he let go, leaning down a moment later to bite the boy's neck. "Tease," he whispered, laving his tongue over soft flesh, kissing lower until he reached Sora's shoulder, all to a chorus of little gasps and moans. He found that, if he bit the spot just between where his neck joined with his body, Sora's breath would hitch and his eyes would flutter closed, and a low whimper would hiss between his parted lips. Leon was done teasing after he heard that. He could feel Sora's warmth and it was driving him mad.

He pulled the boy closer, swinging around so he was facing forward and setting Sora down on his knees on top of him. Sora made no move to amend his position and leaned down coyly, sliding a hand under Leon's shirt as he kissed him, fingers dancing over the ridges and dips he felt there. Leon sucked at Sora's lips, mouths making a low smacking noise as they drew apart and then sought each other out once again, hungrily. Leon was grasping at Sora's hips again, pushing down until Sora's body was as close as possible, crotches rubbing together as his pants tightened. Sora was making little noises the entire time, hands growing impatient on Leon's torso, finally pushing his shirt up to remove it, breaking the kiss just long enough to do so. Leon performed the same action, pulling away all the fabric covering Sora's upper body, hands running from his neck, down his chest, brushing his nipples, moving down until they reached around to spread over his ass and down his thighs, rubbing back and forth and pulling at the backs of his knees, drawing him even closer. Sora shivered and rubbed against Leon's crotch in response, clutching at the man's arms.

"Mmm, Leon," he gasped, leaning closer for a few soft, wet kisses, drawing back with a moan as Leon pressed back, sending jolts of pleasure shooting through him. Leon, though dying to push further, to throw Sora on his back and grind against him mercilessly until neither of them could take it, took a minute to appreciate Sora's moans, the way he arched his neck and squeezed his arms. The soft spray of his lashes against his cheeks as his eyes fluttered closed and his lips parted for another quiet whimper… Leon grabbed his ass again, pushing them together harder, leaning up to suck on Sora's neck again and trail kisses down to his chest. He smirked before flickering his tongue against Sora's nipple, ready for the impending moan and the shivers it sent through his body. 'Fuck yes,' he thought, sucking a bit and licking once more, dragging his left hand up to play with the neglected side. When he pinched a little, Sora jumped and practically squeaked, his body rubbing unintentionally against Leon's. He let out an appreciative groan and dragged his fingertips down Leon's abdomen, resting them at a point just above his crotch. Leon shivered and breathed out in surprise as Sora rolled his hips, not stopping this time. Instead of pushing Sora down, he was being pushed down himself and _ridden_. He pulled his knees up to reposition once he was on his back, staring up at Sora and breathing slowly between his lips, trying not to be overwhelmed. He rubbed restlessly at the boy's hips again, watching in delight as they rolled and sent sparking pleasure through both of them. He was getting so hard.

Sora worked up a slow, steady rhythm quickly, a smile spreading over his face as he watched Leon arch back and close his eyes, making a little needy sound deep in his throat. 'Oh god… he's good at this!' Leon thought, panting and giving Sora an incredulous look. "_Sora_," he growled out, running his hands up and down the younger boy's sides, squeezing when he reached his hips again.

"Mmm, fuck!" Sora muttered impatiently, a breathy "ah!" escaping his throat as Leon moved to meet his motions. "Oh god…" he breathed, hands landing on Leon's chest.

"Let's go to my room," Leon breathed, swallowing and shuddering hard as Sora kissed him and nodded.

He moved and picked Sora up in that position, holding the boy's legs around him as he walked to his bedroom. Sora hung on and buried one hand in Leon's hair, planting a flurry of wet kisses up and down his neck. It wasn't fully dark yet, but Leon's room was bathed in twilight as he pushed Sora down on his bed and rubbed against him, needy. Sora moaned and kissed Leon's ear, whispering, "Tell me you want to fuck me."

Leon had no trouble saying as much, panting out the words even as he stripped away Sora's pants, letting his own be dragged away as Sora pushed him down again, crawling lower with a small smirk on his face. "I believe you," he whispered, rubbing a hand over Leon's erection.

"Shit," Leon murmured, watching with rushed breath as Sora kissed his inner thighs, one hand dragging his boxer-briefs down slowly. "You have no idea how much I want to fuck your mouth," he said gruffly, watching as the remainder of his clothing completely disappeared. Sora grinned up at him, stroking him with one hand as he groaned.

"That's the idea," Sora whispered, his tongue running just over the head. Leon jerked and forced himself to breathe, pressing his lips together and panting through his nose.

After that it was all wetness and downy-soft hair clutched in his fingers and a hand running slowly over his body.

"Ugh, Sora," he whispered, leaning up slightly. "Stop that now and come here."

Sora obeyed, licking his lips and crawling over Leon, giving in as they rolled and Leon pulled the remainder of his clothing away. It always turned him on more than it should have, being stripped, and he writhed a little as Leon drew out the process, watching with rapt attention as Sora became completely bare. His tongue darted out just barely touching his lips as he looked and touched, leaning in to kiss everywhere but where it would feel best.

Sora panted, breathless, and wriggled at Leon's slowly exploring mouth, ridiculous noises escaping him. "Leon!" he gasped, his erection straining, growing painful. "Ugh. Feels… good… More!"

Leon obliged, finally, and dragged his tongue slowly up Sora's length, grinning as he moaned and drew in his knees. He drew back teasingly and looked down at Sora, reaching to touch the boy's lips with two fingers. Sora pulled them into his mouth, sucking on them until they were incredibly wet, slowly drawing them out with a deep exhale. "Hurry up and fuck me," he said, barely a whisper. Leon shuddered at the sound, leaning back down and pressing his two fingers in, touching until he found the spot that made Sora cry out and arch his back, spreading his legs wider and clutching at the sheets. "Yes! There!" he gasped, controlling himself so he wouldn't thrust up into Leon's mouth. He came not too long after, warning Leon, who ignored him and swallowed it all, kissing all up the length of Sora's body as he shivered with orgasm, not removing the fingers that were in him. "Leon- I can't take-" he panted, his cock twitching as Leon pressed against that place inside him. He pulled his fingers out a moment later, reaching over to the nightstand for a bottle and a condom. Sora grabbed the latter out of his hand and opened it, rolling it over Leon's unflagging erection slowly, drawing out a groan. Heat was pooling in his groin again as Leon reached down once more, fingers slick with lube now and working inside him. He became hard just like that, grasping at his inner thighs and looking down at Leon, licking his lips. "Do it," he whispered, watching with lidded eyes as Leon obliged, pressing into him with a barely stifled moan.

Sora threw his head back at the movement, aching for more. Leon had paused partway through to stare at Sora and smirk, running his hands over the boy's torso, touching everywhere. Growing impatient, Sora bit his lip and shoved Leon off, forcing him onto his back for the third time that night. Then, as Leon stammered and stared, clutching desperately Sora's hips, Sora settled himself on his knees above him, positioning Leon's cock at his entrance and slipping down, moaning and letting his eyes slip closed. Leon seized up at the sound of Sora moaning his name, jerking ineffectually against the slick heat all around him.

Sora shifted, circling his hips just enough to build up the heat coiling in Leon's gut, driving him to thrust up a bit. Sora smiled and moved more, slowly, slowly, making Leon crazy. Sora moaned and bit back a shaking yelp as Leon pushed himself up once more, arching to meet Sora's movements. In the next moment, Sora was leaning forward, changing the angle and pressing down on Leon's chest, staring into the older man's eyes as he panted and rolled his hips. They both moaned and grew impatient, and Sora made no protestation as Leon revived their previous position, shifting Sora onto his back and pushing into him with a steady stream of air passing slowly between his lips.

Sora drew his knees up further, a surprised gasp escaping him as Leon pounded into him without preamble. "Oh god," he choked, clutching onto Leon's back as he drew back and thrust in again, this time going in further. Then there was no more teasing, no more slow jerks and unfulfilled desires, it was just Sora, and Leon thrusting into him, and a burning, building heat coiling in both of them. And all of Sora's little noises were driving Leon wild, causing him to thrust a bit more, harder. Sora cried out at the change of pace, calling Leon's name a few times, then shuddering out an "Oh god, gonna…" as Leon drew back to look at him, little points of light dancing across his eyelids. He never stopped rocking his hips, the fast but steady motions driving Sora to orgasm for a second time that night, a cry escaping his lips as Leon bit his calf and stroked him three times, sending a spattering of his own cum over his chest.

Leon almost stopped and pulled out, not wanting to push Sora too far, but Sora grabbed onto his hips as he moved, guiding them together hard. And that was all it took, actually, to send Leon over the edge. He shivered and thrust in once more, letting out a long groan as his body pulled tight and his cock twitched with orgasm. He panted and jolted, barely able to support himself risen up on his arms as he was. Sora rubbed Leon's forearms, which were tensed up and posted on either side of the boy, and smiled, kissing the man's inner arm several times. Leon leaned in and pressed his lips to Sora's, kissing him gently as he pulled out. They repositioned and lay like that, lazily pressing their tongues together, for a few contented minutes, the sweat cooling on their bodies. Leon drew back from the kiss and stared down at Sora's smiling face, pushing the hair back from the boy's forehead and planting a kiss there before standing and motioning for Sora to grab his hand and follow.

"What're we doing?" the younger asked lazily, tripping along with trembling thighs, cringing slightly at the feeling of his own juices drying on him. Leon pulled him into a bathroom and flicked on the light, turning on the shower with a wolfish grin.

"I'll wash you," he purred, pulling Sora forward for a kiss and then helping him step inside, pressing up against his back after he tied off the condom and flushed it. Neither of them moved for awhile, just standing with their eyes closed and reveling in the feel of the water, skin against skin and minds in a comfortable haze.

"Sora?" he said after a moment, leaning around a bit to look the boy in the face.

"Hm?" Sora murmured, smiling.

"Would you… stay here until you can afford your own place?" The question was unsurprising to Sora, who had already assumed he could beg to stay if needed and receive permission to do so easily enough. He smiled in response, nodding and turning to bury his face in Leon's chest, petting soothingly against the older man's lower back.

"Of course," he murmured, smiling as Leon leaned in to kiss him and thinking that there was really nothing he wanted more.

* * *

**End Notes:** Weeelllll… I know, it was really graphic and uh… perhaps a bit weird? I dunno. As stated previously, this may or may not get a follow-up chapter (or chapters) later, depending on what happens after I finish my other story. As it stands now, I'll be marking this as completed. Thanks for reading. Review if you wish. Flaming welcomed, srsly.


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